Jesus

Q. A growing number of evangelical churches are embracing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a way of attracting and converting young men. Pastors of these churches say that they're using MMA not only to toughen up the message of Christ, but also to combat their fear that churches have become too feminized, with too much emphasis on kindness and compassion and not enough on responsibility and strength. Some of the churches not only hold gatherings to watch televised MMA fights and give lectures using the bouts to explain Christ's battle for his beliefs, they also host fight nights between members of their congregations and claim the mix of faith and fighting is intended to promote Christian values.

On May 6, the Rev. Rob Calderhead, pastor of La Cañada United Methodist Church, will continue his sermon series on Jesus with a message titled "Man With a Mission." The reformatted worship service will include Holy Communion, which is open to everyone. Senior Fellowship will also meet Sunday for lunch and a program after worship. This month, Downs McCloskey, a retired geologist, will lecture on oil development in the United States and of his recent trip to Texas. La Cañada United Methodist Church is at 104 Berkshire Place in La Cañada.

Tradition The chilly Palm Sunday morning air does not keep the faithful at St. Bede the Venerable Parish from commemorating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As with most Palm Sunday services, they begin outside, symbolic of the people who gathered to meet and greet Jesus, who by this time had come to be known almost as a celebrity. Most have palm fronds in their hands, symbolic of the palms that adorned the streets of the ancient city as Jesus made his way past the people.

Having recently viewed "The Passion of the Christ," I will say that it is a must see film for everyone. You have heard from the usual suspects, i.e. Christ haters, atheists, new age (revisionists) Christians and self-annointed Jewish leaders condemning this film for its supposed anti-semitic message. Let me assure you that there is nothing anti-semitic-real or imagined-about this truthful presentation of Jesus' last hours. The real fear of these anti-Passion zealots is that those non-believers, recognition by agnostics, raise questions for those of other faiths and commitment to Jesus by the fence sitters.

Do you flinch? What do I mean by flinch? Do you recoil at others? bad news, offenses that have been done against them, or their sins? Are you appalled, confused, disgusted, judgmental or disappointed when you hear a surprising story about another person? Do you feel these things without ever even going to them to get the whole, or true story? The point of today?s column is that we are not to be judgmental of others? sins, nor the gossip we hear about them. We are to get the full story and have grace, even if they did sin. And we are to find out the truth, because sometimes gossip is a lie and it can hurt someone else.

The congregation of the Armenian Apostolic Church of La Crescenta and La Cañada celebrated Palm Sunday with traditional Armenian prayers and ceremonies at Lanterman Auditorium. Incense filled the room, and the altar was flanked with palm leaves, which are a sign of triumph and victory in the time of Jesus. Archpriest Father Hovsep Hagopian led the Palm Sunday service. After the procession, in a special ceremony called "Teruhnpatz," Hagopian and a deacon asked God to open the gates of heaven to the congregation and accept them into his heart.

Archpriest Father Hovsep Hagopian, parish priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church of La Cañada Flintridge, will discuss 'Forgiveness" from a Bible passage from Luke at the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, June 25 in Lanterman Auditorium, 4491 Cornishon Ave., LCF. Jesus said, "....Forgive, and you will be forgiven...," from Luke 6:37. The expression is considered a great mystery as if it suggest that everyone, in order to live their lives peacefully and harmoniously forgive one another.

I thought it strange that Klaus Giannini was an atheist. He was Italian, and all Italians were Catholics. Klaus was enrolled at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, but I doubt he ever went. He was a tough kid who just didn?t give a damn. We knew each other from the streets, but we weren?t friends; Klaus had no friends. His father was a brute and threatened everyone. There was no rationale in his anger; he was just angry. He would beat his son with an iron, and Klaus carried the bruises that proved our suspicions.

Womengathering, a women's ministry at La Cañada Presbyterian Church, will begin the New Year with guest speaker Diana Trautwein, associate pastor of Montecito Covenant Church on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Choose either 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the La Cañada Thursday Club, 4440 Woodleigh Lane or 7 to 9 p.m. at Harris Hall Congdon Room, La Cañada Presbyterian Church. Trautwein is a graduate of Fuller Seminary and was a pastor-in-residence at Pasadena Covenant Church. She has worked in the areas of worship planning, leadership, adult teaching/mentoring and women's ministries for three years.

Children at Crescenta-Cañada Nursery School shared the story of the birth of Jesus with friends and family at the school's annual Christmas celebration. Pastor Bruce Johnson kicked off the celebration, followed by a program of singing by the Busy Bears (4 to 5 year olds) and Darling Ducklings (3 to 4 year olds). Children at the school spent weeks learning about the history of Christmas and rehearsing songs such as “There Was a Little Baby” and “Jingle Bells.” The event was capped off by a special surprise visit from Santa, who brought books for each child in attendance and posed for photos.

Q. A growing number of evangelical churches are embracing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a way of attracting and converting young men. Pastors of these churches say that they're using MMA not only to toughen up the message of Christ, but also to combat their fear that churches have become too feminized, with too much emphasis on kindness and compassion and not enough on responsibility and strength. Some of the churches not only hold gatherings to watch televised MMA fights and give lectures using the bouts to explain Christ's battle for his beliefs, they also host fight nights between members of their congregations and claim the mix of faith and fighting is intended to promote Christian values.

Q. A new book has attracted a hail of criticism on the Internet. “Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived” by Pastor Rob Bell, the leader of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., questions the traditional view of heaven, hell and damnation, which Bell describes as “misguided and toxic.” It also challenges the dogma that “a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous...

The Tidings (the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles) writer Anne Hansen last week wrote about a symposium held at Loyola Marymount University recently designed to encourage dialogue “among believers of many faiths.” The symposium focused on dialogue especially within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. However, in the larger scheme of things, how important do you believe it is for brothers and sisters of other faith traditions to work together for unity?

I thought it strange that Klaus Giannini was an atheist. He was Italian, and all Italians were Catholics. Klaus was enrolled at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, but I doubt he ever went. He was a tough kid who just didn?t give a damn. We knew each other from the streets, but we weren?t friends; Klaus had no friends. His father was a brute and threatened everyone. There was no rationale in his anger; he was just angry. He would beat his son with an iron, and Klaus carried the bruises that proved our suspicions.

Q. On Sept. 28, the Read & Practice Peacemaking Group at Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church will be discussing Harvard divinity graduate Chris Hedges’ latest book, “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and Triumph of Spectacle.” Hedges challenges the tendency to be more interested in “Octomom” than in the health insurance reform bill, and observes that we are more likely to vote for an American idol than for a public official. He asks: Are we being lured by the overwhelming multi-media assault into retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic?

This past weekend, I attended the funeral of a man whom I only knew as an acquaintance. He and his wife were close friends of my parents. The man was a great asset to our parish where he vonlunteered thousands of hours over the 40 years he and his wife were parishioners. I last saw him reading the Sunday scriptures during the Spanish Mass about three weeks ago. His deep voice and slow pacing made him an excellent lector. I did not know that would be the last time I would see him alive.

Q. Football player Michael Vick was signed to play with the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Vick has apologized profusely for his involvement in dog fighting, and many have considered giving him a chance to redeem himself and get his life back on track, and some feel that Vick should not have gotten a second chance and should have been banned from NFL football for the rest of his life. What do believe is the value in giving someone a second chance to redeem and improve themselves?

The Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy girls? basketball team?s game against visiting Sacred Heart of Jesus on Tuesday was one that stayed physical and scrappy until the very end, but thanks to a strong fourth quarter from the Tologs, it ceased to be a close one much earlier. The Tologs got a game-high 18 points from Vanessa Romero and 15 more from Amanda Erwin, as they were able to firmly secure a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and take away a 55-39 victory. ?I just felt the conditioning definitely showed up tonight for us and we were able to execute our defense in the fourth quarter,?